Winners of BIFFes film competitions presented awards

BENGALURU: The 14th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) concluded on Thursday with the announcement and presentation of awards of the winners in the three competition categories.

A day prior to the closing ceremony, there was huge discussion on Facebook that many films had been picked for the awards had paid money to win the competition. Incidentally, some of the films that were discussed got the awards, raising questions about transparency.

Veteran Kannada actor Doddanna was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at BIFFes 2023.

The winners of the awards in three categories were announced on Thursday night. Veteran Kannada actor Doddanna was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Indonesia’s ‘Before Now and Then’ and Iran’s ‘Mother Less’ received the Best Film Award in the Asian category.

In the Kannada Cinema Competition category, ‘Nanu Kusuma’, directed by Krishna Gowda, won the Best Kannada Cinema Award, ‘Hadinelentu’ directed by Prithvi Konanur, won the Second Best Kannada Cinema Award, and ‘Photo’ by Utsav Gonavar, won the Third Best Kannada Cinema Award.

Many films won awards at BIFFes 2023 under different categories.

IN the Chitrabharthi Indian Cinema Competition, the Kannada film ‘Koli Esru’, directed by Champa Shetty, won the Best Indian Cinema Award, Tharun Moorthy’s Malayalam film ‘Saudi Vellaka, CC No. 225/2000’, won the Second Best Indian Cinema Award and the Tamil film ‘Gargi’, directed by Gautham Ramachandran, won the Third Best Indian Cinema Award.

Under the Asian Competition category, ‘Before Now and Then’, directed by Indonesia’s Kamila Andini, and the Iranian movie ‘Mother Less’, directed by Sayyed Morteza Fethami, emerged as the best films. The Sri Lankan film ‘Sand’, directed by Visakesa Chandrasekaram, was the Second Best film, the Bangladeshi film ‘A Tale of Two Sisters’, directed by Akram Khan, and the Kannada film ‘Viratapura Viragi’, directed by B S Lingadevaru, took the Third Best positions.

Many dignitaries presented the award at Biffes 2023.

Karnataka Film Academy president Ashok Kashyap, Information and Public Relations Department Director D P Muralidhar, Commissioner P S Harsha, and Art Director Narahari Rao were present at the closing ceremony and presented the awards.